Medical imaging system service evaluation method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A technique is provided for evaluation of an operative state of a medical diagnostic system. The technique is particularly adapted to evaluating image data from a variety of imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging systems, computed tomography imaging systems, x-ray imaging systems, and so forth. A user interface permits a service request to be formulated at the diagnostic system. Data files, such as image files, log files, error files, and so forth, are identified and stored corresponding to the service request. The service request is then transmitted to a remote service facility for evaluation. The necessary data files may be transmitted with the request or subsequent thereto. The request is acknowledged by the remote service facility in an electronic message. The request uniquely identifies the diagnostic system, as well as the modality of the system.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of medical imagingsystems, diagnostic systems, and the like. More particularly, theinvention relates to a technique for providing remote service of suchsystems, such as for evaluating potential problems and fortroubleshooting the diagnostic equipment remotely. More particularly,the technique provides a mechanism for easily identifying incidences ofpotential problems requiring service, for requesting such service, andfor interactively exchanging information to enable such service to berendered and reported on.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are ubiquitous in modem healthcare facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying,diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the needfor surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosisand treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologisthas complemented conventional examinations with detailed images ofrelevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.

Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic andimaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-raysystems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imagingsystems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography(PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, and soforth. In many instances, these modalities complement one another andoffer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular typesof tissue, organs, physiological systems, and so forth. Health careinstitutions often dispose of several such imaging systems at a singleor multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon suchresources as required by particular patient needs.

Modern medical diagnostic systems typically include circuitry foracquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable formwhich is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features ofinterest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processingcircuitry is often referred to as a “scanner” regardless of themodality, because some sort of physical or electronic scanning oftenoccurs in the imaging process. The particular components of the systemand related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities dueto their different physics and data processing requirements.

Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are often calledupon to produce reliable and understandable images within demandingschedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensure properoperation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trainedpersonnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate thesystems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates.Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years byremote service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribinginstitutions directly without the need for intervention on the part ofthe institution personnel. Such remote servicing is intended to maintainthe diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitatingthe attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quitetransparent to the institution.

In certain remote servicing systems, a computerized service center maycontact a scanner via a network to check system configurations andoperational states, to collect data for report generation, and toperform other useful service functions. Such contacts can be madeperiodically, such as during system “sweeps” in which a variety ofsystem performance data is collected and stored with historical data forthe particular scanner. The data can then be used to evaluate systemperformance, propose or schedule visits by service personnel, and thelike.

While such service techniques have proven extremely valuable inmaintaining diagnostic systems, furher improvements are still needed.For example, in conventional service systems, contact between thescanners and a centralized service center most often originates with theservice center. The scanners are provided with only limitedfunctionality in the ability to identify and define service needs. Evenwhere the scanners have permitted some limited ability to contactnetworked service providers, intermittent conditions indicative of apotentially serviceable problem may cease by the time the serviceprovider is contacted or recontacts the scanner after a service call.Moreover, although the transparency of interactions between scanners andservice centers avoids unnecessarily distracting medical personnel withservice updates, it has become apparent that some degree of interactionbetween service centers and institutions would be highly desirable. Inparticular, an interactive service system would facilitate valuableexchanges of information, including reports of system performance,feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of systemlicenses, software, imaging protocols, and so forth. Currently availableservice systems do not permit such interactive exchanges.

In addition to the foregoing drawbacks, conventional scanners are notsuitably adapted to support user-friendly, scanner-based serviceexchanges. User interfaces in such scanners typically only permitlimited access to service information, and do not provide a particularlyuseful interface for identifying and defining serviceable conditions asthey occur. Moreover, software platforms and interfaces in conventionalscanners are not suitable for interaction with service centers, andgenerally exclude the user from communications between the scanner andthe service center or, conversely, impose unnecessarily on the user byrequiring intervention for certain service functions such as softwareupdates or downloads. Furthermore, platforms have yet to be developedthat can serve as a base for interactive servicing needs of differentmodalities. Rather, such platforms have traditionally been specificallydesigned for the needs of a particular modality or even a particularscanner with little cross utility between systems or modalities.

While certain improvements in diagnostic stations has been made forcertain modalities, these are still insufficient to satisfy the currentneed. For example, graphical user interfaces are available for specificmodality scanners, such as ultrasound scanners, which enable softwaredownloads and remote access to images. The remote access features are,however, generally limited to transmitting image configurations andimage data for reconstruction between remote physician workstations andthe scanner. At present, no systems provide for exchanging informationon possible service problems with the scanners, or information or datalog files for the purpose of providing remote service of the scanneritself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a technique for identifying incidencesrequiring remote service or evaluation designed to respond to theseneeds. The technique may be employed on a wide variety of imaging ordiagnostic equipment modalities, and is preferably designed for use inmultiple modalities, as well as on equipment of various designs andmanufacture. The technique permits the system operator automatically toidentify or capture image and data files required for evaluation of theserviceable incident in a straightforward manner.

In a presently preferred configuration, the user simply navigatesthrough a service request menu which provides identification of thescanner, the facility, and the imaging or diagnostic protocolcorresponding to the serviceable incident. Files stored or availablewithin the system are identified or saved for later access in evaluationof the incident. The system then facilitates transfer of the servicerequest to a centralized service facility. In accordance with apreferred embodiment, the centralized facility receives the request andacknowledges it by transfer of an interactive message to the diagnosticsystem. The service may be rendered either with the participation ofoperations personnel at the facility, or independent of the systemoperator. The centralized service center may draw the necessaryinformation from the diagnostic system with or without participation ofthe system operator. Upon completion of the service evaluation, thecentralized service center can simply transmit results to the facility,including description of the nature of the problem, suggestions forcorrection of the problem, reconfiguration parameters, such as forimaging protocols, and so forth. In addition, the interactive evaluationprocess can include scheduling of a service call by field engineers, andother remedies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical representation of a series of medicaldiagnostic systems coupled to a service facility via a networkconnection for providing remote service and data interchange between thediagnostic systems and the service facility;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the systems shown in FIG. 1 illustratingcertain functional components of the diagnostic systems and the servicefacility;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of certain functional components within adiagnostic system of the type shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 forfacilitating interactive remote servicing of the diagnostic system;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of certain of the functional components of theservice facility illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for renderinginteractive remote service to a plurality of medical diagnostic systems;

FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) illustrate sub-components for license and reportservers included in the processing system shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of functional components within a fieldservice unit which can be coupled to the diagnostic systems and to theservice facility for exchanging service information with a field serviceengineer;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary user interface page incorporated in thediagnostic system for placing service requests, and sending andreceiving service data between the diagnostic system and a remoteservice facility;

FIG. 7 is a second user interface page for conveying service informationto the scanner operator from the service facility;

FIG. 8 is an interface page for generating a particular type of servicerequest at the scanner and for conveying the service request to theservice facility;

FIG. 9 is an interface page for requesting, compiling and transmittingreports regarding service activities provided by the service facility tothe scanner;

FIG. 10 is an interface page for transmitting and viewingservice-related messages from the service facility at the scanner;

FIG. 11 is an interface page including descriptions of softwareroutines, such as imaging protocols, at the diagnostic system scannerwhich are installed at the scanner or available from a service facilityor library;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic implemented by thediagnostic systems for requesting one type of analysis and service froma remote service facility;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic in handling suchservice requests by the service facility;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic for reportingservice activities, updates, alerts, and so forth from the servicefacility to a diagnostic system;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary logic for verifying andcontrolling financial and management arrangements between the servicefacility and the diagnostic systems, such as licensing arrangements,subscription arrangements, pay-per-use arrangements, and so forth; and,

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary control logic foraccessing diagnostic protocols both from a local storage source at thediagnostic system, as well as from a remote library.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to the drawings, and referring first to FIG. 1, a servicesystem 10 is illustrated for providing remote service to a plurality ofmedical diagnostic systems 12. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1,the medical diagnostic systems include a magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) system 14, a computed tomography (CT) system 16, and an ultrasoundimaging system 18. The diagnostic systems may be positioned in a singlelocation or facility, such as a medical facility 20, or may be remotefrom one another as shown in the case of ultrasound system 18. Thediagnostic systems are serviced from a centralized service facility 22.Moreover, a plurality of field service units 24 may be coupled in theservice system for transmitting service requests, verifying servicestatus, transmitting service data and so forth as described more fullybelow.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, several different systemmodalities are provided with remote service by the service facility.These and other modalities may be similarly serviced by the servicefacility, depending upon the capabilities of the service facility, thetypes of diagnostic systems subscribing to service contracts with thefacility, as well as other factors. In general, however, the presenttechnique is particularly well suited to providing remote service to awide variety of medical diagnostic system modalities, including MRIsystems, CT systems, ultrasound systems, positron emission tomography(PET) systems, nuclear medicine systems, and so forth. Moreover, thevarious modality systems serviced in accordance with the presenttechniques may be of different type, manufacture, and model. Servicerequests and data transmitted between the systems and the servicefacility includes data for identifying the type and modality of theserviced system, as well as data specifically adapted to the systemmodality and model. It should also be noted that, as used herein, theterm “service request” is intended to include a wide range of inquiries,comments, suggestions and other queries or messages generated by adiagnostic system or an institution in which a system is disposed ormanaged. In particular, such requests may relate to problems occurringon systems, applications questions, questions of a general nature,questions relating to financial or subscription arrangements,information sharing, reports, applications, protocols, and so forth.

Depending upon the modality of the systems, various subcomponents orsubsystems will be included. In the case of MRI system 14, such systemswill generally include a scanner 26 for generating pulsed magneticfields and for collecting signals from emissions by gyromagneticmaterial within a subject of interest. The scanner is coupled to acontrol and signal detection circuit 28 which, in turn, is coupled to asystem controller 30. System controller 30 includes a uniform platformfor interactively exchanging service requests, messages and data withservice facility 22 as described more fully below. System controller 30is linked to a communications module 32, which may be included in asingle or separate physical package from system controller 30. Systemcontroller 30 is also linked to an operator station 34 which willtypically include a computer monitor 36, a keyboard 38, as well as otherinput devices 40, such as a mouse. In a typical system, additionalcomponents may be included in system 14, such as a printer orphotographic system for producing reconstructed images based upon datacollected from scanner 14. Although reference is made herein generallyto “scanners” in diagnostic systems, that term should be understood toinclude medical diagnostic data acquisition equipment generally, notlimited to image data acquisition, as well as to picture archivingcommunications and retrieval systems, image management systems, facilityor institution management systems, viewing systems and the like, in thefield of medical diagnostics. More particularly, equipment benefitingfrom the present techniques may include imaging systems, clinicaldiagnostic systems, physiological monitoring systems and so forth.

Similarly, CT system 16 will typically include a scanner 42 whichdetects portions of x-ray radiation directed through a subject ofinterest. Scanner 42 is coupled to a generator and controller, as wellas to a signal acquisition unit, represented collectively at referencenumeral 44, for controlling operation of an x-ray source and gantrywithin scanner 42, and for receiving signals produced by a detectorarray moveable within the scanner. The circuitry within the controllerand signal acquisition components is coupled to a system controller 46which, like controller 30 mentioned above, includes circuitry forcommanding operation of the scanner and for processing andreconstructing image data based upon-the acquired signals. Systemcontroller 46 is linked to a communications module 48, generally similarto communications module 32 of MRI system 14, for transmitting andreceiving data for remote service of system 16. Also, system controller46 is coupled to an operator station 50 which includes a computermonitor 52, a keyboard 54, as well as other input devices 56, such as amouse. Moreover, like MRI system 14, CT system 16 will generally includea printer or similar device for outputting reconstructed images basedupon data collected by scanner 42.

Other modality devices will include circuitry and hardware particularlyconfigured for acquiring or producing signals in accordance with theirparticular design. In particular, in the case of ultrasound system 18,such systems will generally include a scanner and data processing unit58 for transmitting ultrasound signals into a subject of interest, andfor acquiring resultant signals which are processed for reconstructing auseful image. The system includes a system controller 60 which regulatesoperation of scanner 58 and which processes acquired signals toreconstruct the image., Moreover, system 18 includes a communicationsmodule 62 for transmitting service requests, messages and data betweensystem controller 60 and service facility 22. System 18 also includes anoperators station 64, including a monitor 66, as well as input devicessuch as a keyboard 68.

Where more than one medical diagnostic system is provided in a singlefacility or location, as indicated in the case of MRI and CT systems 14and 16 in FIG. 1, these may be coupled to a management station 70, suchas in a radiology department of a hospital or clinic. The managementstation may be linked directly to controllers for the various diagnosticsystems, such as controllers 30 and 46 in the illustrated embodiment.The management system may include a computer workstation or personalcomputer 72 coupled to the system controllers in an intranetconfiguration, in a file sharing configuration, a client/serverarrangement, or in any other suitable manner. Moreover, managementstation 70 will typically include a monitor 74 for viewing systemoperational parameters, analyzing system utilization, and exchangingservice requests and data between the facility 20 and the servicefacility 22. Input devices, such as a standard computer keyboard 76 andmouse 78, may also be provided to facilitate the user interface. Itshould be noted that, alternatively, the management system, or otherdiagnostic system components, may be “stand-alone” or not coupleddirectly to a diagnostic system. In such cases, the service platformdescribed herein, and some or all of the service functionalitynevertheless be provided on the management system. Similarly, in certainapplications, a diagnostic system may consist of a stand-alone ornetworked picture archiving communications and retrieval system or aviewing station provided with some or all of the functionality describedherein.

The communication modules mentioned above, as well as workstation 72 andfield service units 24 may be linked to service facility 22 via a remoteaccess network 80. For this purpose, any suitable network connection maybe employed. Presently preferred network configurations include bothproprietary or dedicated networks, as well as open networks, such as theInternet. Data may be exchanged between the diagnostic systems, fieldservice units, and remote service facility 22 in any suitable format,such as in accordance with the Internet Protocol (IP), the TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP), or other known protocols. Moreover, certain ofthe data may be transmitted or formatted via markup languages such asthe HyperText Markup Language (HTML), or other standard languages. Thepresently preferred interface structures and communications componentsare described in greater detail below.

Within service facility 22, messages, service requests and data arereceived by communication components as indicated generally at referencenumeral 82. Components 82 transmit the service data to a service centerprocessing system, represented generally at reference numeral 84 in FIG.1. The processing system manages the receipt, handling and transmissionof service data to and from the service facility. In general, processingsystem 84 may include one or a plurality of computers, as well asdedicated hardware or software servers for processing the variousservice requests and for receiving and transmitting the service data asdescribed more fully below. Service facility 22 also includes a bank ofoperator workstations 86 which may be staffed by service engineers whoaddress the service requests and provide off and on-line service to thediagnostic systems in response to the service requests. Also, processingsystem 84 may be linked to a system of databases or other processingsystems 88 at or remote from the service facility 22. Such databases andprocessing systems may include extensive database information onoperating parameters, service histories, and so forth, both forparticular subscribing scanners, as well as for extended populations ofdiagnostic equipment. As described below, such databases may be employedboth for servicing of particular diagnostic systems and for trackingsuch servicing, as well as for deriving comparison data for use inservicing a particular system or a family of systems.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the foregoing system componentsin a functional view. As shown in FIG. 2, the field service units 24 andthe diagnostic systems 12 can be linked to the service facility 22 via anetwork connection as illustrated generally at reference numeral 80.Within each diagnostic system 12, a uniform service platform 90 isprovided. Platform 90, which is described in greater detail below withparticular reference to FIG. 3, includes hardware, firmware, andsoftware components adapted for composing service requests, transmittingand receiving service data, establishing network connections andmanaging financial or subscriber arrangements between diagnostic systemsand the service facility. Moreover, the platforms provide a uniformgraphical user interface at each diagnostic system, which can be adaptedto various system modalities to facilitate interaction of clinicians andradiologists with the various diagnostic systems for service functions.The platforms enable the scanner designer to interface directly with thecontrol circuitry of the individual scanners, as well as with memorydevices at the scanners, to access image, log and similar files neededfor rendering requested or subscribed services. Where a managementstation 70 is provided, a similar uniform platform is preferably loadedon the management station to facilitate direct interfacing between themanagement station and the service facility. In addition to the uniformservice platform 90, each diagnostic system is preferably provided withan alternative communications module 92, such as a facsimiletransmission module for sending and receiving facsimile messages betweenthe scanner and remote service facilities.

Messages and data transmitted between the diagnostic systems and theservice facility traverse a security barrier or “firewall” containedwithin processing system 84 as discussed below, which preventsunauthorized access to the service facility in a manner generally knownin the art. A modem rack 96, including a series of modems 98, receivesthe incoming data, and transmits outgoing data through a router 100which manages data traffic between the modems and the service centerprocessing system 84.

As mentioned above, processing system 84 receives and processes theservice requests and data, and interfaces with additional servicecomponents, both at the service facility and remote from the facility.In the diagram of FIG. 2, operator workstations 86 are coupled to theprocessing system, as are remote databases or computers 88. In addition,at least one local service database 102 is provided for verifyinglicense and contract arrangements, storing service record files, logfiles, and so forth. Moreover, one or more communication modules 104 arelinked to processing system 84 to send and receive facsimiletransmissions between the service facility and the diagnostic systems orfield service units.

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the various functional componentscomprising the uniform service platform 90 within each diagnostic system12. As shown in FIG. 3, the uniform platform includes a deviceconnectivity module 106, as well as a network connectivity module 108.Network connectivity module 108 accesses a main web page 110 which, asmentioned above, is preferably a markup language page, such as an HTMLpage displayed for the system user on a monitor at the diagnosticsystem. Main web page 110 is preferably accessible from a normaloperating page in which the user will configure examination requests,view the results of examinations, and so forth such as via an on-screenicon. Through main web page 110, a series of additional web pages 112are accessible. Such web pages permit service requests to be composedand transmitted to the remote service facility, and facilitate theexchange of other messages, reports, software, protocols, and so forthas described more fully below. It should be noted that as used hereinthe term “page” includes a user interface screen or similar arrangementwhich can be viewed by a user of the diagnostic system, such as screensproviding graphical or textual representations of data, messages,reports and so forth. Moreover, such pages may be defined by a markuplanguage or a programming language such as Java, perl, java script, orany other suitable language.

Network connectivity module 108 is coupled to a license module 114 forverifying the status of license, fee or contractual subscriptionsbetween the diagnostic system and the service facility. As used herein,the term “subscription” should be understood to include variousarrangements, contractual, commercial or otherwise for the provision ofservices, information, software, and the like, both accompanies with orwithout payment of a fee. Moreover, the particular arrangements managesby systems as described below may include several different types ofsubscriptions, including time-expiring arrangements, one-time feearrangements, and so-called “pay per use” arrangements, to mention but afew.

License module 114 is, in turn, coupled to one or more adapter utilities116 for interfacing the browser, server, and communications componentswith modality interface tools 118. In a presently preferredconfiguration, several such interface tools are provided for exchangingdata between the system scanner and the service platform. For example,modality interface tools 118 may include applets or servlets forbuilding modality-specific applications, as well as configurationtemplates, graphical user interface customization code, and so forth.Adapters 116 may interact with such components, or directly with amodality controller 120 which is coupled to modality-specificsubcomponents 122. The modality controller 120 and modality-specificsubcomponents 122 will typically include a preconfigured processor orcomputer for executing examinations, and memory circuitry for storingimage data files, log files, error files, and so forth. Adapter 116 mayinterface with such circuitry to convert the stored data to and fromdesired protocols, such as between the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) and DICOM, a medical imaging standard for data presentation.Moreover, transfer of files and data as described below may be performedvia any suitable protocol, such as a file transfer protocol (FTP) orother network protocol.

In the illustrated embodiment, device connectivity module 106 includesseveral components for providing data exchange between the diagnosticsystem and the remote service facility. In particular, a connectivityservice module 124 provides for interfacing with network connectivitymodule 108. A Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) module 126 is also providedfor transmitting Internet Protocol (IP) packets over remotecommunication connections. Finally, a modem 128 is provided forreceiving and transmitting data between the diagnostic system and theremote service facility. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, various other network protocols and components may be employedwithin device connectivity module 106 for facilitating such dataexchange.

Network connectivity module 108 preferably includes a server 130 and abrowser 132. Server 130 facilitates data exchange between the diagnosticsystem and the service facility, and permits a series of web pages 110and 112 to be viewed via browser 132. In a presently preferredembodiment, server 130 and browser 132 support HTTP applications and thebrowser supports java applications. Other servers and browsers, orsimilar software packages may, of course, be employed for exchangingdata, service requests, messages, and software between the diagnosticsystem, the operator and the remote service facility. Finally, a directnetwork connection 134 may be provided between server 130 and anoperator workstation, such as management station 70 within the medicalfacility (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

In a present embodiment, the components comprising network connectivitymodule may be configured via an application stored as part of theuniform platform. In particular, a Java application licensed to aservice engineer enables the engineer to configure the deviceconnectivity at the diagnostic system to permit it to connect with theservice facility. Features of the application are segmented intoseparate tabbed pages accessible by the service engineer. Theapplication is entered via a license agreement screen. Once accepted,the service engineer can configure parameters of the system modem, theschedule for running automatic diagnostic checks, and establishelectronic messaging, such as for automatic service report generation.Once the modem is configured, the service engineer establishes contactwith the service facility and provides data enabling the servicefacility to download any remaining data needed for secure communicationbetween the system and the service center. Upon exit from theapplication, a configuration status is presented to the serviceengineer, including status of an automatic test of connectivity betweenthe sites.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary functional components for service facility22. As indicated above, service facility 22 includes a modem rack 96comprising a plurality of modems 98 coupled to a router 100 forcoordinating data communications with the service facility. An HTTPservice server 94 receives and directs incoming and outgoingtransactions with the facility. Server 94 is coupled to the othercomponents of the facility through a firewall 138 for system security.Operator workstations 86 are coupled to the port manager for handlingservice requests and transmitting messages and reports in response tosuch requests. An automated service unit 136 may also be included in theservice facility for automatically responding to certain servicerequests, sweeping subscribing diagnostic systems for operationalparameter data, and so forth, as described below. In a presentlypreferred embodiment, the automated service unit may operateindependently of or in conjunction with the interactive servicecomponents comprising processing system 84. It should be noted thatother network or communications schemes may be provided for enabling theservice facility to communicate and exchange data and messages withdiagnostic systems and remote service units, such as systems includingoutside Internet service providers (ISP's), virtual private networks(VPN's) and so forth.

Behind firewall 138, an HTTP application server 140 coordinates handlingof service requests, messaging, reporting, software transfers and soforth. Other servers may be coupled to HTTP server 140, such as serviceanalysis servers 142 configured to address specific types of servicerequests, as described more fully below. In the illustrated embodiment,processing system 84 also includes a license server 144 which is coupledto a license database 146 for storing, updating and verifying the statusof diagnostic system service subscriptions. Alternatively, wheredesired, license server 144 may be placed outside of fire wall 138 toverify subscription status prior to admission to the service facility.

Handling of service requests, messaging, and reporting is furthercoordinated by a scheduler module 148 coupled to HTTP server 140.Scheduler module 148 coordinates activities of other servers comprisingthe processing system, such as a report server 150, a message server152, and a software download server 154. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, servers 150, 152 and 154 are coupled to memorydevices (not shown) for storing data such as addresses, log files,message and report files, applications software, and so forth. Inparticular, as illustrated in FIG. 4, software server 154 is coupled viaone or more data channels to a storage device 156 for containingtransmittable software packages which may be sent directly to thediagnostic systems, accessed by the diagnostic systems, or supplied onpay-per-use or purchase basis. Message and report servers 152 and 154are further coupled, along with communications module 104, to a deliveryhandling module 158, which is configured to receive outgoing messages,insure proper connectivity with diagnostic systems, and coordinatetransmission of the messages.

The foregoing components may, of course, include further subcomponentsfor executing specific functions in the processing system. FIGS. 4A and4B illustrate such subcomponents for license server 144 and reportserver 150. As shown in FIG. 4A, license server 144 includes a validitycheck module 160 linked to license database 146. The license database isfurther linked to a key information module 162, a contract populationprocess module 164, and a site population process module 166. The lattermodule is further coupled to systemic information databases 168. Asdescribed more fully below, validity check module 160 receives siteinformation, verifies site and license information with license database146, and accesses resulting status information from the database. Module160 then may output the site status and license status information tothe HTTP server within the processing system for enabling considerationand response to a service request or for otherwise addressing theservice request. Module 162 receives key information and siteinformation regarding the particular diagnostic system requestingservice, and transmits site identification, configuration, and similarinformation to other system components through the intermediary ofdatabase 146. Similarly, population process modules 164 and 166 storeand provide general contract status data, service security keys, sitedemographic information, and so forth.

The functional components of report server 150, as shown in FIG. 4B, mayinclude a report generation module 170, coupled to a report accessmodule 172, a report storage device 174, and an automated data gatheringmodule 176. Automated data gathering module 176 may include all or aportion of an automated service unit 136 as shown in FIG. 4. Asdescribed more fully below, the components of the report server receivescanner data, service information, warehouse information, and the like,and generate system-specific reports based upon this and collectedinformation, such as from gathering module 176. Such reports may alsoinclude information on entire populations of similar diagnostic systems,such as for comparison purposes, component life predictions and soforth. The reports may be stored and accessed remotely by the diagnosticsystem as described below.

FIG. 5 illustrates certain of the functional components contained withinan exemplary field service unit 24. Field service unit 24 may include aportable computer designed for use by remote service engineers. The unitincludes a service platform which includes certain functional circuitryfor establishing a uniform service base as discussed above for thediagnostic systems themselves. Moreover, the service units includespecific service tools which enable the field engineer to request andreceive remote service messages, reports on specific diagnostic systems,service schedules, and so forth. Through the service platform,therefore, the field engineer may access system configurations, historiclog information, system network information, analysis logs and data, andso forth. In addition, the field service unit described below, inconjunction with the system platform and the service facilitycomponents, permits such information to be accessed either by the fieldengineer on the field service unit, or at the diagnostic system itself(e.g. when the service engineer is on-site), or from the remote servicefacility. The field engineer may also update service records either fromthe field service unit or from the diagnostic system, as desired.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, an exemplary field service unit includes adevice connectivity module 106 and a network connectivity module 108.Device connectivity module 106 may include connectivity interfacecircuitry 124, a network or PPP module 126, and a modem 128, asdescribed above for the diagnostic system with reference to FIG. 3. Thenetwork connectivity module 108 may, in turn, include a server 130 andbrowser 132 substantially identical to those of the diagnostic systems,enabling the field engineer to receive, view and compose messages,reports, and so forth via a main web page 110 and a series of web pages112. Moreover, an access module 114A is provided for allowing theservice facility to verify the license and security status of the fieldservice unit. For example, the access module, in cooperation withcircuitry at the service facility, may permit a field service engineerto access data or applications providing some or all of thefunctionality offered to service engineers at the service facility. Suchfunctionalities may be similar to those provided at the diagnosticsystems themselves, or may offer the service engineer a wider range ofservice options. One or more adapter modules 116 provide for interfacingthe network circuitry with various field service tools. In particular,the field service unit may be equipped with service applications, asindicated at blocks 180, such as for analyzing diagnostic systemperformance data, scheduling regular or special service calls,scheduling for shipment of replacement parts, and so forth. Otherservice applications may include applications generally similar to thoseexecuted on the operator workstations 86 of the service facility (see,e.g. FIG. 4). Such applications may permit the field service engineer toaddress service requests at the diagnostic system site, or remote fromthe site as required, and transmit service messages and updates via theremote field service unit.

In a presently preferred embodiment, the foregoing functional circuitrymay be configured as hardware, firmware, or software on any appropriatecomputer platform. For example, the functional circuitry of thediagnostic systems may be programmed as appropriate code in a personnelcomputer or workstation either incorporated entirely in or added to thesystem scanner. The functional circuitry of the service facility mayinclude additional personal computers or workstations, in addition to amain frame computer in which one or more of the servers, the scheduler,and so forth, are configured. Finally, the field service units maycomprise personal computers or laptop computers of any suitableprocessor platform. It should also be noted that the foregoingfunctional circuitry may be adapted in a variety of manners forexecuting the functions described herein. In general, the functionalcircuitry facilitates the exchange of service data between thediagnostic systems and a remote service facility, which is preferablyimplemented in an interactive manner to provide regular updates to thediagnostic systems of service activities.

As described above, both the diagnostic systems and the field serviceunits preferably facilitate interfacing between a variety of diagnosticsystem modalities and the remote service facility via a series ofinteractive user-viewable pages. FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrate exemplarypages for providing interactive information, composing service requests,selecting and transferring messages, reports and diagnostic systemsoftware, and so forth. It should be noted that through the followingdiscussion, reference is made to viewable pages for interfacing in thelanguage of the present description. However, in a presently preferredembodiment, the platform may be configured to present such interfacepages in several different languages, depending upon the country inwhich the system is installed. As illustrated first in FIG. 6, a mainweb page 110 is accessible from a normal diagnostic system screenviewable on the diagnostic system monitor 36, 52 or 66. Main web page110 may therefore be viewable by clicking an input device such as amouse on an icon (not shown) on the normal operational screen. Main webpage 110 includes a series of navigation devices 178 in the form ofgraphical buttons for accessing other interface pages in the graphicaluser interface. In the illustrated embodiment, these graphical devicesinclude a service request button 180 for accessing a service requestpage, an applications button 182 for accessing an applications page, asystem reports button 184 for accessing service reports, and a messagesbutton 186 for sending and receiving interactive service messages. Ahelp button 187 is provided for accessing user information, help topicsand so forth, which may be resident on the system, or available throughon-line sources viewable through the system browser. A close or exitbutton 188 is provided for returning to the normal scanner interfacepage. In addition to these navigational devices, main page 110 includesa message area 190 in which information regarding the most recentmessages is displayed. This information may include identification ofthe time and date received, the originator of the message, and a briefsummary of the message content or title. Thus, upon accessing main page110, the system user is made aware of service activities carried out bythe remote service facility or field service engineer.

FIG. 7 illustrates the applications page 192 accessed by actuation ofthe applications button 182 in the main page. As in the main page, theapplications page includes a series of graphical buttons 178 fornavigating through the other pages of the graphical user interface,including a main screen button 194 for returning to the main screenshown in FIG. 6. Moreover, additional web pages may be accessiblethrough the applications page, such as a documentation or a help page orseries of pages, accessible through a graphical button 196. A protocolspage is accessible through a graphical button 198. Moreover, page 192 isprovided with a text area 200 in which text describing various servicedocumentation, messages, modality equipment, operational instructions,and so forth may be displayed.

It should be noted that in a presently preferred configuration, theinformation displayed within text area 200 is specifically designed forthe particular modality and type of diagnostic system on which theuniform platform is installed. Thus, as described below, when theservice center is placed into network contact with the diagnosticsystem, the identification of the diagnostic system to the servicecenter allows the service center to transmit and displaymodality-specific information in the text area. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 7, such text includes documentation on imagingprotocol or examination descriptions, a system newsletter specificallyadapted for the modality and system type, updated questions and answers,and instructional suggestions for operation of the diagnostic system.The user can access the specific documents described in the text area byselection of all or a portion of the text describing the documents. Inthe presently preferred embodiment, the accessed documents may be storedin local memory devices within the diagnostic system, or selection ofthe text may result in loading of a uniform resource locator (URL) foraccessing a remote computer or server via a network link.

As mentioned above, the uniform graphical user interface facilitatesformulation of service requests and enables system designers to permitsuch service requests in a similar manner across several diagnosticsystem modalities. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary interface page forformulating such service requests. In the page shown in FIG. 8, a “snapshot” or current system state may be captured as the basis for theservice request. The service request page would be accessed from thenormal operating page at the scanner, through the service request button180 in the main web page or one of the other web pages. With the systemstate remaining at its condition just prior to accessing the servicerequest page, image data files, log files, error files, and so forth maybe identified, captured, stored and transmitted to the service facilityfor evaluation of potential problems in the diagnostic system. As willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, the service requesttherefore enables the user to identify potential imaging systemdifficulties that may not be apparent in subsequent examinations, or maynot reoccur on a predictable basis. It should be noted that the servicerequests formulated via a page such as that shown in FIG. 8 anddescribed below are not limited to identifying image acquisition orprocessing problems, or to capturing image files only. Such requests mayrelate to general or system-specific questions, or may identify datafiles containing system configuration data, and data indicative ofhistorical operational parameters or events. Such events may includeparameter limits exceeded, timeouts, protocol configurations, hardwareand software configurations, work queues, and so forth. Similarly, imagedata identified for evaluation may include both processed, partiallyprocessed and raw data from which images are subsequently reconstructed.

The service request page 202, as shown in FIG. 8, includes graphicalbuttons 204 which permit the user to identify whether the servicerequest is urgent or whether the request entails simply an applicationsquestion or non-urgent inquiry. In the illustrated embodiment, a seriesof interactive selections 206 are available, permitting the user toidentify, if possible, the type of problem which may be occurring.Furthermore, a series of identification areas 208 allow the user toinsert text to identify both the user, the user's location or telephonenumber, and other contact information. It should be noted that theserver included in the uniform platform already includes unique systemidentification data which supplements the information input by the user.Such information may be input by a user, or may be suppliedautomatically by the system. Where the service request involves aspecific image or examination sequence, the user may input suchidentifying data in a series of examination identification areas 210.Where the examination request involves an examination which has justbeen attempted or is underway, the data required in areas 210 may betransmitted directly from the modality controller. A further area 212permits the user to identify or describe the type of service problembeing experienced. A date stamp area 214 provides an identification ofthe date and time of the serviceable problem or question. In appropriatesituations, a default time drawn from a system clock may be provided inthis area, or the default time may be overridden by the user. Finally,in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the user may complete andsubmit the service request by selecting a graphical send button 216. Itshould also be noted that in the illustrated embodiment, a graphicalservice center telephone directory button 218 is provided, by which theuser may access numbers for immediately contacting the remote servicefacility.

FIG. 9 illustrates a further interface page for informing the systemoperator of the current and past state of service activities, and fortransmitting reports to the diagnostic system from the remote servicefacility. The system reports page 218 includes a series of graphicalbuttons 178, including certain options which may be provided across anumber of modalities, such as a service history button. When the servicehistory button is selected, text appears in a text area 222 whichidentifies the type of service performed on the diagnostic system,either locally by a service engineer or remotely by the remote servicefacility. The text may also indicate the nature of the organizationperforming the service, applicable reference numbers, and the date onwhich the service was performed. The diagnostic system operator isthereby apprised of all service activities provided to the diagnosticsystem, and maintains and up-to-date, comprehensive list of the serviceactivities.

Other selections available in the system reports page may include systemusage, accessible through a graphical button 224, and monitoringactivities accessible through a button 226. It should be noted that thespecific information accessed through selection of one of the graphicalbuttons will be adapted not only for the modality and system type, butfor the specific system in which the user interface is installed. Thus,under a system usage page (not shown) a CT system may include dataindicative of the performance of an x-ray radiation source, while in anMRI system, the same graphical button may access information on cryogenlevels and temperatures. It should also be noted that specific modalityor system buttons may be provided, such as a tube usage button 228 inFIG. 9, suitable for x-ray and CT systems. Although such additionalinterface access devices are configured in individual systems, they arepreferably provided in a uniform location and lay out which can beeasily learned and used by operations personnel.

FIG. 10 illustrates a messages page for the uniform platform andgraphical user interface. Messages page 230 is accessible through themain page shown in FIG. 6. Upon accessing the messages page, the systemuser is provided with information on service and other messages receivedby the diagnostic system via a network connection. A pair of graphicalbuttons are provided for selecting either current messages or savedmessages received by the system. Upon selection of either the current orsaved messages button, the user is provided with a list of messages in atext area 232, identifying the subject of the message, the originator,and the date received. The body of the message, and graphical symbolsindicating possible attachments (none shown) are also provided in thetext area 232. The user may select a particular message for viewing byselection of the entire or a portion of the text defined in thetabulated message list.

As described more fully below, when a service request is composed andtransmitted to the remote service center, an acknowledgment message isgenerated and returned to the diagnostic system, indicating that theservice request has been received and is being processed. Moreover,where reports are generated, based either on a service request or on anautomatic or a periodic basis, the availability of such reports may beflagged through the message page. Both the message and the report maythen be accessed by appropriate selection of the message title in thetabulated list. The user may save or delete each message by selection ofan appropriate save or delete graphical button 234.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, further interface pages may be provided forlisting available software, uploading such software into the particularmodality controller, or downloading the software from a library orservice facility. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, suchsoftware includes a series of examination or imaging protocols. As willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, such protocols defineconfiguration parameters for specific examination sequences. In general,however, as used herein, the term “protocols” generally refers toinstructions or parameters for acquiring, manipulating, displaying,archiving or managing medical diagnostic data. The protocols arespecifically adapted for the modality of the diagnostic system, and maybe further adapted for specific system types and capabilities. Inpresently preferred configurations, the protocols may be stored locallyat the particular diagnostic system, or may be available at thediagnostic system via a variety of transfer options or memory supportdevices, such as CD ROM storage discs. It should be noted, however, thatinterface pages such as that shown in FIG. 11, and the processingdescribed below, are not limited to transfer of protocols, but mayinclude transfer of a wide range of programs.

The available software routines are listed and described briefly in theuser-viewable page. In FIG. 11, the protocol screen 236 lists a seriesof imaging protocols within a text area 238. For each protocol providedin the listing, a brief description of the protocol and itsconfiguration parameters is provided as indicated at reference numeral240, as is a condensed image or thumbnail sketch of the type of imageavailable through application of the protocol, as indicated at referencenumeral 242. Additional protocols may be made available by paging downthe list in a conventional manner. Also, in a preferred embodiment,protocols presented in a menu may be sorted, such as by anatomy, imagingor acquisition technique, physiological condition or pathology, and soforth. As described in greater detail below, in a preferred embodiment,not only are the protocols displayed for reference purposes at thediagnostic system, but new or additional protocols may be added to thelisting from time to time, such as by downloading from the servicefacility. Moreover, certain of the protocols may be made available on afee-per-use, one-time payment, or a license basis. Furthermore, the usermay upload examination configurations by selecting the thumbnail imageor text associated with a particular protocol. Thus, the uniform userinterface and platform facilitate not only viewing and listing suchroutines and protocols, but assist in the examination configurationsthemselves.

FIGS. 12 through 16 illustrate exemplary control logic implemented bythe functional components described above at the diagnostic systems, theservice facility, and remote field service units. In particular, FIG. 12illustrates exemplary logic for composing and transmitting a servicerequest via the graphical user interface and uniform platform. Thecontrol logic, indicated generally by reference numeral 250, begins atstep 252 wherein a service page is accessed from a normal operating pageat the diagnostic system or at a management station. The logical stepsillustrated in FIG. 12 are particularly adapted for composing servicerequests based on specific instances of malfunctions or specificquestions on examination sequences. Thus, at step 252 a service requestpage such as that shown in FIG. 8 is accessed. At step 254 thediagnostic system may verify a subscriber status required for therequested service. In particular, the various service requests may becategorized by type, and associated with specific contract types,subscriber services, licenses, and so forth. Such subscriber data willbe stored in a license module such as module 114 shown in FIG. 3. Wherethe service requests are freely made by the scanner, this step may beeliminated. However, where specific service subscriptions are required,a comparison is made at step 254 between the required contractualarrangement or subscriber license and the similar information on filefor the diagnostic system. At step 256 in FIG. 12, the diagnostic systemconnectivity module dials and connects the diagnostic system to theservice facility. At step 258 the service request is composed, such asby selecting or inputting the question description, user identification,problem description and other information as described above withrespect to FIG. 8.

At step 260, the diagnostic system server 130 (see FIG. 3) determinesthe type and location of data that may be required for addressing theservice request. For example, for service requests regarding imagingsequences, acquired image data files may be identified, along withscanner log files, error files, and so forth. More particularly, thedata identified (and later transmitted if required) may include both rawor processed image data, software configuration information, systemsdata (e.g. hardware and software identification and configuration), andso forth. Certain of the data may be specific to the modality of thesystem (such as data in a DICOM format), and may be defined by modalitythrough adaptation of the uniform platform via the modality interfacecomponents. Where such data is required for properly addressing theservice request, the data files are located as indicated at step 262.The files may be backed up or stored from the modality-specificcircuitry through the intermediary of adapter modules, such as adaptermodule 116 (see FIG. 3). These steps in the exemplary logic thereforepermit the user to configure a service request which effectivelycaptures a state of the diagnostic system which gave rise to the servicerequest. The request may be thereby linked to the specific problem forwhich service is needed.

At step 264 a message is formatted based upon the service request. Themessage formatting will typically include identification of thediagnostic system, a facility in which the system is located, and soforth. It should be noted that in the preferred embodiment, the servicerequest and the message is stripped of information relating to specificpatient identifications. Other data, such as financial or accountinformation may be included with the message or may similarly bestripped from the request. Where the requested service is permitted bythe subscriber arrangement, the logic proceeds to step 266 where therequest is placed in a message queue at the diagnostic system. If thesubscription arrangement does not permit the specific type of request,the logic may produce a message notifying the system user of this fact,may proceed based upon an exception to the subscriber arrangements, orboth.

At step 268 the service request message is transmitted. The servicefacility receives the service request and processes the request assummarized below. In the preferred embodiment a request acknowledgmentsignal is immediately transmitted by the service facility back to thediagnostic system and is received by the diagnostic system at step 270.The diagnostic system operator is thereby immediately provided withfeedback on the status of the service request, including informationrelating to a reference code and estimated handling time. At step 272 aportion or all of the data files may be transmitted by the diagnosticsystem to the service facility. Alternatively, transmission of all orsome of the data files may be delayed until a subsequent serviceconnection session. At step 274, the acknowledgment message is posted onthe message page of the graphical user interface, and a notificationthat the message has been received may be posted on the interface pagewhich is currently being viewed at the diagnostic system. At step 276the diagnostic system may disconnect from the service facility.Alternatively, additional messages, service requests, and so forth maybe transmitted, or other remote activities may be performed at thisstage. When certain of the data required to address the service requestis not transmitted immediately, the service facility may recontact themedical diagnostic system at a subsequent time. As indicated at step278, a data file pull request may be transmitted by the servicefacility, and, in response to the request, the platform at thediagnostic system will access the required files and transmit the datato the service facility for analysis.

FIG. 13 illustrates steps in exemplary control logic for addressing theservice request at the remote service facility. This request handlinglogic, indicated generally by reference numeral 280, begins with receiptof the request as indicated at step 282. The request is received via thenetwork connectivity modules of the service facility and is handled bythe service center processing system including the HTTP server 140 andthe analysis server 142 (see FIG. 4). In addition to the stepsillustrated in FIG. 13, the service facility servers will verify licenseor other subscriber data for the diagnostic system or site requestingthe service as described more fully below with reference to FIG. 14.

Upon receipt of the service request and subscriber clearance, theservice facility processing system determines, at step 284, whether aservice dispatch has been opened. As used herein, the term “dispatch”refers generally to a service request tracking or handling technique,such as for referencing a service request or identifying the servicerequest or response at a later time. The logical steps executed at step284 may include comparison of the origin and nature of the servicerequest with service requests already received and being handled by theservice facility. If, through this comparison, it is determined that nodispatch has been opened for the particular request, a dispatch iscreated at step 286 and the service request is placed in a handlingqueue. If a dispatch has already been created, it is determined at step288 whether the dispatch has been assigned to a service facilityengineer for handling. If the dispatch has not yet been assigned, a noteis appended to the dispatch at step 290 indicating that the servicerequest has been repeated. From either step 284 or step 290, a messageis generated at step 292 including the reference number of the dispatchin the service facility or an update on the status of the preexistingdispatch. This message is then transmitted to the requesting diagnosticsystem or site and is received and posted by the site as described abovewith respect to FIG. 12.

Following transmission of the acknowledgment message at step 292, amodality service engineer is notified of the service request at step294. Because in the present technique the service facility may provideinteractive service to a variety of system modalities, at step 294 aservice engineer, typically staffing a workstation 86 (see FIG. 4) inthe service facility is assigned service requests according to theparticular modality of the diagnostic system. It should be noted,however, that the modality service engineer assigned the service requestmay be remote from the service facility, and may be a field serviceengineer accessible through a field service unit 24 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).At this point in the control logic, the service facility may bedisconnected from the requesting diagnostic system.

Where the service request requires data, such as image data files, logfiles, and so forth, from the diagnostic system, this data may betransmitted along with the request. However, where voluminous files areneeded, or where files are identified by the service facility or by aservice engineer subsequent to receipt of the request, the diagnosticsystem may be recontacted by the service facility as indicated at step296 to locate and transmit the needed data. At step 298 the data isaccessed, transmitted and stored. The steps involved in recontacting themedical diagnostic system and transmitting the needed data files mayrequire prompting of operations personnel for the input of specificinformation, or may be essentially transparent to the diagnostic systemsoperations personnel. Thus, the service facility server or servers maycontact the diagnostic system server directly to access and transmit theneeded data without intervention from the operations personnel at thediagnostic system facility.

Depending upon the nature of the service request, the service facilityengineer will perform analysis of the service issues and recontact thediagnostic system either in person, by telephone, or directly throughthe network connection and user interface. For particular servicerequests, the service facility database may be utilized as indicated atstep 300 in FIG. 13. Such databases will be called into play inreviewing or updating service history for the particular diagnosticsystem or site, as well as for referring to configuration parameters,operating parameters, reference values, and so forth for the particularmodality and system type. The databases accessed at step 300 may alsoinclude information relating to populations of diagnostic systems. Suchinformation may be used by the service facility for comparison purposes,predicting possible future service needs, predicting component failureor degradation, and so forth. Moreover, the access to the databases atstep 300 may include access to new or updated routines, protocols,instructional documentation and courses, schedules for training, and soforth. Where such information is located for the diagnostic systemmodality and type, the data may be included in messages formulated bythe service facility and retransmitted to the diagnostic system. At step302 the database information is therefore accessed, transmitted andstored for responding to the service request.

Returning to step 288, if at this step it is determined that a dispatchhas been assigned, a further dispatch may be created at step 304. Amessage, including the update regarding the dispatch, is formulated andsent at step 306 to inform the diagnostic system operations personnel ofthe status of the service request. A “pop up” box message is thenaddressed to the assigned service engineer at step 308. At step 310 theprocessing system determines whether the assigned engineer has acceptedthe dispatch. If no engineer accepts the dispatch or a predeterminedinterval lapses following display of the notification at step 308, thelogic proceeds to step 294 wherein a modality service engineer isnotified of the service request. Subsequent logic follows step 294 asdescribed above. If upon displaying the notice at step 308 a particularservice engineer accepts the service request, the request is assigned tothe engineer at step 312 and the logic may proceed to step 296 asdescribed above.

In general, substantive responses to service requests will varydepending upon the tenor of the request. For example, the response mayinclude suggestions for operating the diagnostic system or a medicalinstitution in which the system is installed. Such information mayprovide “best practices” type information for the particular system typeor modality, as well as instructional information on user or care forthe system. The information may also include alerts, such as foranticipated service needs, scheduled or available training sessions andso forth. As described below, the response may further include programsor protocols or reports of system operation. It should be noted that thesame type of information may be provided to the diagnostic system at theinitiation of a remote service facility as part of a service program orotherwise.

FIG. 14 illustrates steps in exemplary control logic executed by theservice system for requesting, compiling and transmitting reportsrelating to service activities and operation of the medical diagnosticsystems. The control logic, indicated generally by reference numeral310, may begin in one of several manners, depending upon whether thereport is being generated automatically, or upon request by a particulardiagnostic system, or by a field engineer. Where the report isspecifically requested by a diagnostic system, the report request isproduced at step 312 by the system operator or manager via the uniformgraphical user interface described above. Various types of reports maybe produced, including reports relating to recent or historical serviceactivities, reports of the state of the diagnostic system, includingnumbers and types of examinations performed, errors or problemsencountered, anticipated service needs, and so forth. For example, inx-ray and CT modalities, reports may relate to the operational status ofthe x-ray tubes, while in MRI systems, reports may include data relatingto cryogen levels and temperatures. Moreover, reports may be requestedfor financial, subscription, or other management functions, includinglistings of current license subscriptions, accumulated fees for specificaccounts (e.g. resulting from pay-per-use or one-time fee arrangements),and so forth. Similar reports may be requested by field serviceengineers and technicians as indicated at step 314.

At step 316 the report request is transmitted to the service facility.The report request will typically be transmitted in the form of aservice request message as described above with reference to FIG. 12. Atstep 318 the transmitted request is acknowledged by a returnacknowledgment message from the service facility, providing anindication of receipt and confirmation of handling of the report.

Certain of the reports available through the system may be provided freeof charge, or based upon specific subscription types, or for a fee.Thus, as shown in FIG. 14 at step 320, following acknowledgment ofreceipt of the report request, the service facility processing systemmay evaluate the request to determine whether a fee is applicable. If afee is associated with the report requested by the diagnostic systemuser, a fee/subscription routine is performed as indicated at step 322.Exemplary control logic involved in the fee/subscription routine isdescribed below with reference to FIG. 15.

Following either step 320 or step 322, the service facility is contactedvia a network connection as indicated at step 324. It should be notedthat while the fee verification steps indicated at steps 320 and 322 maybe performed in the medical diagnostic system, similar steps may beperformed in the service facility following step 324, or between thediagnostic system and the service facility interactively, depending uponthe particular fee arrangement and the data required for authorizationof the fee structure. As indicated above, the reports generated by theservice system may result from triggering events other than a specificrequest. In particular, certain reports may be generated on a periodicbasis, such as weekly or monthly, and the service facility or themedical diagnostic system may generate a prompt for a report based upona preestablished calendar or routine. Thus, as indicated at step 326, aperiodic trigger may give rise to either the medical diagnostic systemcontacting the service facility, or vice-versa.

Once the diagnostic system and service facility are linked, the servicefacility may sweep the diagnostic system for data required for thedesired report as indicated at step 328. As used herein, the term“sweep” refers generally to a process of connecting system components,such as via a network connection, identifying desired data, andtransmitting the data, either in an “upload” or a “download” scenario,depending upon the nature of the data and its use in servicing a system.Such sweeps may occur on regularly scheduled bases, at desired times(e.g., at off-peak utilization times) or on demand by a system user or asystem application. The system data may be stored in specific data fileswhich are accessed either through intervention of a service engineer, orautomatically by the service facility processing system. Once the datais accessed, it is transmitted to the service facility as indicated atstep 330. At step 332 the service data records for the particulardiagnostic system, as well as records kept for specific populations ofsimilar diagnostic systems is updated as indicated at step 332.Subsequently, the service facility may disconnect from the diagnosticsystem as indicated at step 334. In situations in which no further datafrom the diagnostic system is needed for generation of the requestedreport, the steps of data collection and transmission may be eliminated.Moreover, the service facility may perform periodic data sweeps ofsubscribing systems without immediately generating a report through thesubsequent logical steps.

Where a report is to be generated based upon the acquired and historicaldata, the data is processed as indicated at step 336. As will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the specific processingperformed at this step may vary widely depending upon the nature of thediagnostic system, the data being processed, the type of report beinggenerated, and so forth. For example, the data processing may includestatistical analysis of the acquired data, categorization of data, aswell as failure prediction analyses based upon the data, and so forth.The processed data is then compiled into the desired report as indicatedat step 338. The report may include tabulated presentations, but mayalso include compilations of data into graphical formats, such ascharts, graphs, and so forth, which may be accessible through a seriesof interactive pages viewable by the diagnostic system user via thelocal browser.

At step 340 connection is reestablished with the diagnostic system and anotification of the availability of the report is transmitted. Severalscenarios are available for transmission of the requested reports. Asindicated at step 340, the requested report may be transmitted with thenotification message in a “push” scenario. In general, such techniqueswill append the report to a notification message which is transmittedand displayed at the diagnostic system. The user may then access thereport by appropriately selecting the message or an icon or textassociated with the message. Where desired, however, reports may becompiled and a notification message provided at step 340, requiring thediagnostic system or the site to recontact the service facility and to“pull” the report as indicated at step 342. Where the report wasrequested by a field service engineer, similar steps are performed fortransmitting the desired report to the field service engineer, or forpermitting the field service engineer to pull the report based on anotification message. Moreover, where reports are requested by ortransmitted to specific diagnostic systems or sites, the field serviceengineer may be notified of the request or the report at the same timeas the report is transmitted to the diagnostic system. It should benoted that, when desired, a report maybe stored at a location remotefrom the diagnostic system, and nevertheless be viewed at the diagnosticsystem, such as via a browser interface (e.g. as a series of web pages).Moreover, where desired, a report may be requested by the system to bedelivered via facsimile. In such cases, the report is requested andcompiled as described above, then transmitted via facsimile to theinstitution in which the system is installed or, in appropriateapplications, directly to the requesting system.

FIG. 15 illustrates exemplary control logic for verifying andcontrolling financial and management arrangements between the servicefacility and diagnostic systems. As mentioned above, the logicillustrated in FIG. 15, designated generally by the reference numeral350, may be triggered in a variety of manners. For example, verificationof license or subscriber status may be triggered each time the serviceapplication is accessed at the medical diagnostic system. Similartriggering may occur upon request for specific types of service at theremote service facility. Moreover, both the diagnostic system and theremote service facility may include routines designed to trigger analert upon expiration or anticipated expiration of a dated subscription.Furthermore, subscription or license verifications may relate to all ora part of the platform or configuration of the diagnostic system, suchas particular programs, applications, protocols and so forth. In apresently preferred embodiment, other security checks may be performedin addition to such subscription verifications to prevent tampering. Forexample, when the service platform is started, a coded check sum forfiles is compared to a reference (e.g., created upon installation orsubsequent updating) If the comparison reveals possible tampering, anote is made in a log file which can be monitored remotely.

In the presently contemplated embodiment, several types of fee orfinancial management arrangements may be provided in parallel. Firstly,a service subscription may exist for certain levels of service. Theservice subscription may time out periodically or may be permanent, suchas lifetime or non-expiring warranty service. Secondly, certain of theservices provided remotely may be offered on a pay-per-use basis. Insuch cases, the logic of FIG. 15, or other financial management logicmay be triggered upon generation of a service request, receipt of theservice request, or fulfillment of a service order. Finally, certainservices or service data may be provided based on a purchasearrangement, in which the diagnostic system operator orders service ordata and the associated fee is invoiced or debited to the diagnosticsystem account. Such arrangements may be employed, for example, for thetransfer of new examination protocols, software, and so forth.

The logic of FIG. 15 begins at step 352 with the triggering of asubscription check. As used herein, the term subscription should beunderstood to encompass both ongoing and periodically expiring licenses,pay-per-use arrangements, purchase arrangements, and other service anddistribution arrangements. As illustrated in FIG. 15, step 352 willgenerally occur at the diagnostic system. At step 354 a subscriptionmanager module contained within the license module 114 of the diagnosticsystem is accessed. The subscription manager module will include datarelating to specific applications or services to which the diagnosticsystem holds rights or subscriptions, as well as data relating toexpiration dates, levels of service, system identification, and soforth. At step 356, the system determines whether the status of thevarious subscriptions is up-to-date or whether certain of thesubscriptions may be expired. If any such problems with the servicesubscriptions is detected at step 356, operation of the service platformor interface may be modified as indicated at step 358. Rather, or inaddition to such modification in the service platform presentation oroperation, a message may be generated and displayed at the diagnosticsystem indicating the need to contact a field service engineer or theservice facility, or to update the subscription. Following step 358, theservice activities may continue as indicated at step 360. Step 360 isalso reached where the status of the subscriptions checked at step 356are found to conform to the needed status for the service activitiesdesired by the user.

Following the local verification of the subscription status, thediagnostic system may be connected to the service facility as indicatedat step 362. At step 364 any service requests or messages composed atthe diagnostic system may be transmitted to the service facility asdescribed above. Based upon such service requests and messages, afurther subscription review may be performed in conjunction with theservice facility. In particular, as indicated at step 366, certain ofthe service or data requests transmitted from the diagnostic system mayrequire payment or authorization of a fee. Such requirements areidentified at step 366. At step 368 a site subscription index maintainedat the service facility is accessed. The site subscription index willtypically be stored in a license database 146 (see FIG. 4A). The indexincludes up-to-date information regarding current subscriptions, accountdata, system identification, authorization data, and so forth, for thespecific diagnostic system and the services to which the diagnosticsystem either holds rights or licenses. The subscription indexinformation is used by the service facility to update the data at thediagnostic system, as well as to authorize the requested service, or toperform accounting functions for debiting appropriate accounts for paidservices. Where desired, subscription authorizations may also beautomated between the service facility and diagnostic systems or medicalinstitutions.

As indicated above, certain financial arrangements may be verifiedperiodically either at the diagnostic system or by the service facilityprocessing system. Step 370 in FIG. 15 indicates a periodic subscriptioncheck or status flag which may occur based upon such periodic licensechecking routines. When a periodic license check is triggered, thestatus of applicable licenses is verified at step 372. If the statusesare current (e.g. no expired license flags are identified), normaloperation may continue. However, where the status check indicates thatcertain subscriptions have expired or will expire, the specificdiagnostic system involved may be contacted by connecting to the servicefacility network as indicated at step 374. Following the connection, thesite subscription index is again accessed at step 368 as summarizedabove.

The site subscription index accessed at step 368 provides a basis forverifying and updating corresponding status data with the diagnosticsystem. Thus, at step 376, the subscription index is compared to similarsubscription information stored at the diagnostic system, and it isdetermined whether an update is required. In general, it is presentlycontemplated that the master version of such information will be storedat the service facility. In practice, portions of the indices orsubscription files may be compared, or data derived from the indices orfiles may be compared for this purpose. Moreover, security devices maybe included in the system to prevent unauthorized modification of thesubscription data at the diagnostic system. Thus, if at step 376 thediagnostic system data is found not to conform to the information at theservice facility, it is assumed that the diagnostic system is to beupdated, and such updates are performed as indicated at step 378.Following either step 376 or 378, the status of the particularsubscriptions are verified at step 380. This status verification mayinclude, again, comparison of the current system subscriptions with thesubscriptions necessary for the requested service. Moreover, the statuscheck may verify whether the requested service is a pay-per-use service,a one-time fee service, and so forth. If the current subscription orfinancial arrangement is found to be in place at step 380, the systemmay continue with the handling of the service request as indicated atstep 382.

If at step 380 updating or fee authorization is required, a notificationto this effect may be generated as indicated at step 384. Suchnotification will generally take the form of a message transmitted fromthe service facility to the diagnostic system as described above.Moreover, the notification may include one or more interactive pages forordering or authorizing the required fee arrangement. Upon completion ofsuch information or authorizations, the requested service may be orderedas indicated at step 386. Where the authorization is not received, therequest handling may be aborted at this stage. Upon transmission andreceipt of the order or authorization data from the diagnostic system tothe service facility, the service facility may perform verificationroutines as indicated at step 388, such as by comparing authorizationcodes with established codes stored within the subscription index. Thesubscription index is updated at step 390. Such updating will typicallyinclude indication of new expiration or renewal dates, addition of theauthorization or fee arrangement to service history databases, andaddition of the requested and authorized fees to accounting databasesfor debiting or invoicing purposes. Finally, once the required financialarrangement is established or verified, the handling of the servicerequest may continue as indicated at step 392.

FIG. 16 illustrates exemplary logical steps for transmitting service anddiagnostic programs from the service facility to diagnostic systems. Asmentioned above, such programs may include new or revised examinationsequences, protocols, and the like. While such protocols may bedistributed on supports such as CD ROM discs, they may alternatively besupplied via the network connection established between the servicefacility and the diagnostic systems. As used herein, the term programalso refers to prerecorded or live transmissions such as video and audiotransmissions employed by the facilities housing the diagnostic systemsfor personnel training purposes and the like. Such programs may bestored for distribution over a network as scheduled by the diagnosticsystem personnel, or may be prescheduled, such as through apreestablished training program or periodic training sessions.

The logical steps depicted in FIG. 16, denoted generally by thereference numeral 400, begin with definition of the program at step 402.In general, and in particular for diagnostic system protocols, suchprograms will be defined specifically for the particular modality of thediagnostic systems, and, where appropriate with additional specificityaccording to the system type, model, and so forth. Such program contentmay be defined by the service facility or by other content providers. Atstep 404, the program is stored, such as in a database 156 or otherstorage device accessible to the service facility (see FIG. 4).

Several scenarios are presently envisioned for distribution of theprograms via the service system described above. In particular, suchprograms may be distributed at the initiation of the service facility,or upon request by the diagnostic system. Where the service facilitymakes such programs available, the programs may be distributed via a“push” or “pull” scenario. In the former case, the programs aredownloaded at the initiation of the service facility as described below.In the latter case, the diagnostic system is notified of theavailability of the program, and may download or upgrade the system atwill by recontacting the service facility. In either case, notificationis displayed at the diagnostic system through the interactive interfaceto inform the operations personnel of the availability or the presenceof the program. For example, in the case of examination protocols,notification may be provided via the protocol page illustrated in FIG.11, with the new examination protocol either stored locally at thediagnostic system, or available upon request from the service facility,or from a library or other resource to which the service facility ordiagnostic system browser may connect the diagnostic system. Suchconnections may be implemented through conventional Uniform ResourceLocator (URL) links.

At step 406 of FIG. 16, the service facility processing systemdetermines whether the program is to be distributed via a “push” or“pull” scenario. If the program is to be downloaded directly via a“push” scenario, subscription records are obtained from the servicefacility databases at step 408 to determine the present status ofservice subscriptions, and to compose a list of subscribing diagnosticsystems to which the program is applicable and should be distributed. Atstep 410 one or more messages to such systems are composed. Whereprograms are available or may be used by various system types or models,several messages may be composed at step 410 specifically adapted to thevariations between the system types. Returning to step 406, where a“pull” scenario is to be employed for the program distribution, thesubscription records of the service facility are again consulted at step412 to develop a subscriber list to which the program should be madeavailable. In general, such pull lists may be compiled where specificprograms, including training sessions, protocols, and so forth, will bemade available on a pay-per-use, one-time payment basis, or similararrangements. At step 414, one or more messages are composed for thesubscriber list generated at step 412. From either step 410 or 414, theservice facility may proceed to contact the diagnostic systems and toestablish the network connection described above, as indicated at step416. At step 418 a message notifying the diagnostic system personnel ofthe existence and availability of the program is transmitted to theconnected diagnostic system. Where the “push” distribution scenario isemployed, step 418 may include loading of the program on the diagnosticsystem without requiring the intervention of the system operationspersonnel, but including notification of the presence of the newprogram.

As mentioned above, in lieu of the service facility-initiateddistribution mechanism, the diagnostic system itself may originateprogram requests. Thus, as indicated at step 420, such request may beformulated, typically as a service request as described above. At step422 a subscription requirement associated with the program may bechecked, if such a requirement is stored locally at the diagnosticsystem. Where such a requirement is stored at the diagnostic system, thesubscription manager module of the system may be accessed as indicatedat step 424, and the requirement and status compared as indicated atstep 426. If the comparison made at step 426 determines that the programrequires a subscription status or other arrangement or authorizationwhich is not currently held by the diagnostic system, notification tothe user is provided as indicated at step 428. From either step 426 orstep 428, the system may continue with the program request procedure, orother interactive service procedures as noted at step 430. As mentionedabove, such subscriptions, including for programs and protocols, may beof set to expire at particular times or after fixed durations. Inaddition to the subscription verification, comparisons made at step 426may include verifications of hardware or software configurations toensure that particular programs or protocols are suitable for therequesting system.

Where the foregoing logic allows the diagnostic system to proceed withordering the requested program, a connection is established at step 432with the service facility. At step 434 the program request istransmitted, such as in the same manner as other service requests. Atstep 436 the service facility processing system may access the sitesubscription index, in much the same manner as described above withrespect to the steps of FIG. 15 (see, e.g., step 368). The subscriptionindex data is then compared with the similar data from the diagnosticsystem, as well as with requirements imposed by the particular programbeing requested. At step 438 this status is compared, and if additionalsubscriptions, data, or fee authorization is required, notification isprovided via a return message to the diagnostic system as indicated atstep 440. Where the foregoing steps permit transmission of the programaccording to the request, a message indicating its availability istransmitted at step 418 as described above. Again, the message may beaccompanied with the program data in accordance with a “push” scenarioor may be transmitted at a subsequent time.

Where the program data is transmitted at step 418, an installation stepfollows as shown at step 442. The installation step may includeexpanding of program files, modification of resident files at thediagnostic system, enabling of software applications, and so forth.Where the requested program includes audio or video training sessions,other steps may be included at this installation stage, such as routingthe requested program to a predetermined location or locations. Inaddition to the installation step the subscription data, both at thediagnostic system and the service facility, is updated at step 444. Forprogram distribution on such fee arrangements as pay-per-use, one-timepayment, or expanded fee-based subscription services is provided, theupdating performed at step 444 may include both updating of subscriptionmanager and subscription index files, as well as updating of accountingfiles for debiting or invoicing the subscribers account. At step 446 theservice facility may be disconnected from the diagnostic system.

As noted above, the interactive nature of the program distributionpermits notification of the diagnostic system user by means of visual orauditory messages at the diagnostic system. Thus, as indicated at step448, a message is posted at the diagnostic system, indicating theavailability or transfer of the program at the initiation of the servicefacility or in response to a request from the diagnostic system. Wherethe program is made available, but is not immediately transferred to thediagnostic system, a delayed transmission or subscriber “pull” step maybe included as indicated at step 450. The logic involved in such delayedtransmission will typically follow the foregoing steps, includingestablishing a network connection between the diagnostic system and theservice facility, verification of subscriber status, and transmission ofthe program. Once the program has been transmitted to the diagnosticsystem, it is installed as indicated at step 452. Again, thesubscription data, both at the diagnostic system and at the servicefacility, is updated to indicate the current status of the program atstep 454 as described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for servicing a medical diagnosticsystem, the method comprising the steps of: generating a service requestat the medical diagnostic system; identifying at least one data file inthe diagnostic system for use in performing an evaluation in response tothe service request; transmitting the service request from thediagnostic system to a remote service facility; and transmitting aresponse to the service request from the remote service facility to thediagnostic system.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onedata file includes image data representative of an image acquired by themedical diagnostic system.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the servicerequest is generated through a user service interface in the diagnosticsystem.
 4. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step oftransmitting the at least one data file from the diagnostic system tothe remote service facility.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the atleast one data file is transmitted to the remote service facilitysubsequent to the transmission of the service request and the response.6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one data file istransmitted from the diagnostic system to the remote service facility inresponse to a prompt from the service facility.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the diagnostic system includes a scanner of a first modality,the service facility is configured to receive service requests from atfirst and second modality scanners, and wherein the service requestgenerated and transmitted includes data uniquely identifying the firstmodality.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first modality is amagnetic resonance imaging modality.
 9. The method of claim 7, whereinthe first modality is a computed tomography imaging modality.
 10. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the first modality is an x-ray imagingmodality.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data fileincludes log information relating to operation of the diagnostic system.12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data file includessoftware configuration information relating to operation of thediagnostic system.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onedata file includes systems data relating to hardware or softwareconfigurations of the diagnostic system.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the systems data is predetermined based upon a modality of themedical diagnostic system.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein themedical diagnostic system includes a picture archiving system.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the medical diagnostic system includes amanagement station coupled to at least one data acquisition device foracquiring and managing diagnostic images.
 17. A method for evaluating anoperating state of a medical diagnostic system, the method comprisingthe steps of: identifying and storing at the diagnostic system dataindicative of the operating state; formulating a service request at thediagnostic system; linking the diagnostic system to a remote servicefacility via a network connection; and transmitting the service requestand the data to the remote service facility.
 18. The method of claim 17,comprising the further step of transmitting an acknowledgment messagefrom the service facility to the diagnostic system in response to theservice request.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the data includesimage data acquired by the diagnostic system.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein the data includes configuration data representative of imageacquisition parameters for the diagnostic system implemented duringacquisition of the image data.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein theservice request is formulated by a networked computer coupled to thediagnostic system.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein the data istransmitted subsequent to the service request in response to a promptfrom the service facility.
 23. A method for evaluating an image acquiredby a medical diagnostic system, the method comprising the steps of:accessing a service request interface; formulating a service request viathe interface, the service request uniquely identifying the medicaldiagnostic system and an image to be evaluated; identifying an imagedata file; and transmitting the service request and the image data fileto a remote service facility.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein theservice request interface is accessed on the medical diagnostic system.25. The method of claim 23, wherein the image data file is transmittedsubsequent to the service request.
 26. The method of claim 25, whereinthe image data file is transmitted to the remote service facility inresponse to a prompt from the remote service facility.
 27. A method foranalyzing data from medical diagnostic systems, the method comprising:formulating a service request on a first modality diagnostic system or asecond modality diagnostic system; and transmitting the service requestto a remote service facility, the service request uniquely identifyingthe requesting diagnostic system and the respective modality.
 28. Themethod of claim 27, comprising the further step of identifying at leastone data file at the requesting diagnostic system, the data fileincluding image data for evaluation by the remote service facility. 29.The method of claim 28, wherein the data file is transmitted to theremote service facility subsequent to the service request.
 30. Themethod of claim 27, comprising the further step of transmitting anacknowledgment message from the remote service facility to therequesting diagnostic system in response to the service request.
 31. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the service request includes datarepresentative of operation of the requesting diagnostic system.
 32. Asystem for evaluating an operative state of medical diagnosticequipment, the system comprising: medical diagnostic equipmentconfigured to generate image data; a service interface coupled to theequipment and configured to generate a service request, the servicerequest identifying parameters of the diagnostic equipment employed forgeneration of the image data; and communications circuitry coupled tothe service interface for transmitting the service request to a remoteservice facility.
 33. The system of claim 32, wherein the serviceinterface includes a user viewable service request page for formulatingthe service request.
 34. The system of claim 33, wherein the parametersinclude configuration parameters of the equipment during acquisition ofthe image data.
 35. The system of claim 33, wherein the parametersinclude at least one parameter identifying one of a plurality of imagingmodalities.
 36. A system for evaluating an operative state of aplurality of medical diagnostic stations, the system comprising: a firststation of a first modality, the first station configured to generateimage data and service requests for evaluation of an operative state ofthe first station; a second station of a second modality, the secondstation configured to generate image data and service requests forevaluation of an operative state of the second station; and a remoteservice facility configured to be linked to the first and the secondstations via network connections and to receive service requests andimage data from the first and the second stations for evaluation of anoperative state thereof.
 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the firstand second stations are configured to identify data files for evaluationof the operative state and to transmit the data files to the remoteservice facility.
 38. The system of claim 37, wherein the data filesinclude data identifying the modality of the respective station.
 39. Thesystem of claim 36, wherein the service facility includes a plurality ofservice facilities disposed at different locations and linked to oneanother via a communications network.